Page 2539 - Politics
211 contestants file nominations for Mizoram poll
As many as 211 contestants have filed nominations for the Mizoram assembly elections that will be held on November 28, state election department officials said. Some candidates are contesting in two seats, including Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla who has submitted his nominations from his home turf of Serchhip and Champhai South constituencies. Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma has also filed his nominations from Serchhip and Aizawl West-I seats, election office sources said. The president of People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM), Vanlalruata, would also try his electoral luck from Serchhip and Aizawl North-I. Friday was the last date for filing nominations. As per the EC schedule, the nomination papers will be scrutinised on Monday. The officials said the number of contestants was provisional as the information received from some districts might change.
EC team in poll-bound Mizoram seeks to end standoff over sacking of official
A high-level Election Commission team on Friday held a series of meetings, including with the Mizoram NGO Coordination Committee (MNCC), which has been spearheading a state-wide protest calling for removal of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and reinstatement of the ousted Principal Secretary (Home).
Delhi BJP asks Kejriwal govt to bring out 'white paper' on steps to check air pollution
Accusing the AAP of doing politics on the serious issue of air pollution, the Delhi BJP Friday demanded its government to bring a "white paper" on steps it has taken to address the recurring problem and asked if it would announce a ban on cracker bursting. The Aam Aadmi Party Thursday demanded initiation of contempt action against BJP leaders MLA O P Sharma and party spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor for their remarks on the Supreme Court order allowing a two-hour window on use of green crackers. Sharma said Friday the AAP government has "failed" to take measures needed to address the problem of air pollution which was reflected in "low-grade" allegations on him by AAP leaders. "The AAP government is indifferent towards steps that need to be taken to make Delhi's air clean. Leaders of the party are levelling low-grade allegations to divert attention from failure of their government," Sharma said at a press conference. Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said the rise in air ...
GST, demonetisation caused huge loss: Rahul
In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the Goods and Service Tax (GST) and demonetisation caused a huge loss to the economy.
India at Moscow dialogue: Why no talks with J&K stakeholders? asks Omar
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has asked why the Centre did not initiate talks with the stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir if it could participate in the dialogue on Afghanistan in Russia in the presence of the Taliban. "If 'non-official' participation in a dialogue that includes the taliban is acceptable to the Modi government why not a "non-official" dialogue with non-mainstream stake holders in J&K? Why not a "non-official" dialogue centered around J&K's eroded autonomy & its restoration?," Omar wrote on Twitter on Thursday night. India on Thursday said it would participate in the meeting being hosted by Russia on Afghanistan at a "non-official level" in Moscow, where representatives of the Taliban will be present. Representatives of the Afghan Taliban radical movement will take part in the Moscow-format meeting on Afghanistan on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry had said last week. "We are aware that the Russian Federation is hosting a meeting in Moscow on .
Sitharaman unveils M777, K9 howitzers for Army
Signalling a major milestone towards capacity building and enhancement of the Army, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday dedicated three top globally combat-proven weapons to the nation which got its Bofors Howitzer three decades ago.
Cong workers stage protests against note ban; will probe if party comes to power, says Surjewala
Congress cadres Friday staged protests against demonetisation in several states a day after the second anniversary of the note ban with one senior leader calling it a "Modi-made disaster" that will be probed if the party comes to power at the Centre in 2019. The protests were staged near the offices of the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in Delhi and the state capitals. With no let up in the war of words between the government and the opposition over the ban of high-value notes announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, the Samajwadi Party(SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) also joined the Congress in dubbing the exercise a "failure". Leaders of the SP and BSP demanded an apology from the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) for the hardship caused to the poor. "Demonetisation broke the back of the poor," they said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday staunchly defended the demonetisation drive, saying 'prophets of doom' have been proven wrong as hard data of two years showed ..
VHP to launch nation-wide stir for Ram Mandir from Ayodhya
In its efforts to mount pressure on the government for bringing a law to construct a grand Ram temple, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday announced that it would hold several rallies across the country beginning November 25 from Ayodhya.
Lanka crisis: Rajapaksa short of 'magic number' to prove premiership, says spokesperson
Sri Lankan strongman and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa remains short of the 'magic number' 113 required to prove his majority in Parliament, his spokesman acknowledged Friday, days ahead of the floor test in the House. Sri Lanka is facing a major constitutional crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa and suspended Parliament. Without specifying the exact figure of the lawmakers supporting Rajapaksa, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters, "At the moment we have 105 to 106 MPs." Rambukwella is one of the ministers appointed after the political crisis erupted on October 26. He is currently the incumbent Media and Information Minister. Sirisena had earlier claimed at a public rally that he has the support of 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove the premiership of Rajapaksa. His comments came after Speaker Karu Jayasuriya slammed Sirisena's ..
Extremely reliable and battle-proven: BAE Systems on M777 Howitzers
British defence company BAE Systems, on Friday congratulated India over the induction of the M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzers, saying that it is the first step in their Make-in-India commitment."The M777 ULH is more than a very effective piece of artillery technology. With the M777 program, BAE Systems has made the first step of our substantive Make-in-India commitment, which includes our pledge to develop a network of Indian suppliers for our global supply chain and deepen our relationship with industry in India. We are committed to a strong and collaborative working relationship between BAE Systems, the Indian Armed Forces and Indian industry," Nik Khanna, managing director of BAE Systems, India, said.Echoing similar thoughts, the Group President of Mahindra Group's Aerospace and Defence Sector and the chairman of Mahindra Defence Systems, S. P. Shukla, said: "This is a landmark event with the first M777s being delivered to the Indian Army. It is a product of our long-standing ...
BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of demonetisation
Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of demonetisation, the BJP said Friday that a war is going on in Indian politics with the Narendra Modi-led government working to curb black money while the Congress president trying to save it. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Gandhi's comments were nothing but a pack of lies and that he has been speaking from the same script for long. India has been progressing under Modi while the Gandhi family has been left behind, he said. Demonetisation, whose second anniversary fell Friday, destroyed the "ill-gotten wealth of the four generations of the Gandhi family", Patra alleged, claiming that the move, which had made notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 invalid, led to many benefits, including increase in tax base, curbing black money and hitting Naxalism. In his criticism, the Congress chief had said that demonetisation was a planned "brutal conspiracy" and a "shrewd scheme" to convert the black money of Modi's "suited-booted friends". What Gandhi .
Ensure status quo on Punjab, Haryana share in Chandigarh posts
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure there is no change in the Punjab and Haryana share in the administrative posts of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Lawyer writes to PMO on electoral reforms, seeks fixing of minimum qualification for candidates
A lawyer and BJP leader has written to the Prime Minister and the Election Commission seeking direction to fix graduation as the minimum educational qualification and 70 years as the maximum age limit for contesting parliamentary and state assembly polls. Ashwini Upadhay, who has filed almost 50 PILs in the Supreme Court and high courts on issues such as electoral reforms and polygamy among Muslims, has also made a separate representation with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) seeking directions to make two-child policy mandatory for contesting elections, forming political parties and holding offices in them. The lawyer has further sought directions to make the two-child policy mandatory for applying for government jobs, receiving aids and financial subsidies. The representation on fixing the qualification and age limit for contesting polls said that they were not only necessary to fulfil the dreams of the Constitution makers and the citizens but also essential to ensure free and fair
JK Cong holds anti-govt protests on 2nd anniversary of demonetization
The Congress' Jammu and Kashmir unit took out an anti-government rally and protested near the RBI office here with its leaders courting arrests on the second anniversary of demonetization on Friday. Led by AICC Secretary Sudhir Sharma, over 300 party activists blocked the road and protested near the RBI Office. Raising slogans against the Modi government, they alleged that the "ill advised step" of demonetisation has ruined the economy, job market and affected the country's development. After protesting for around two hours, senior leaders of the Congress and party activists courted arrest and were taken to the police lines in Gandhinagar. Sharma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the note ban exercise to curb terror funding, black money and fake currency, but "nothing has been achieved". According to the RBI, over 99 per cent of the demonetized currency notes have returned to the banks, he said. Former minister Raman Bhalla said the poor and middle class suffered ...
PM Modi's first visit to Male on Nov 17; to attend swearing-in of prez-elect
In his first visit as the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will travel to Male on November 17 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of new Maldivian president, indicating an attempt to mend bilateral ties, which nosedived during the outgoing Abdulla Yameen government. Announcing Modi's day-long visit, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the prime minister has accepted president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih invitation to attend the ceremony "with pleasure". Kumar, however, made it clear that it is not a "bilateral visit". "In keeping with its neighbourhood first policy, India looks forward to closely working with Maldives in further deepening the partnership," Kumar said. India-Maldives ties came under strain under Yameen who was perceived to be close to China. Some decisions by Yameen including imposition of restrictions on work visas for Indians and signing of a new Free Trade Agreement with Beijing also did not go down well with New Delhi. The relations deteriorated .
PM Modi to attend Maldivian President-elect's swearing-in on Nov 17
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Maldives to attend the swearing-in of President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on November 17. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar announced it in a media briefing on Friday.Referring to the Maldivian President-elect's invite to Prime Minister Modi, he said: "PM has accepted the invitation with pleasure. In keeping with our 'neighbourhood first' policy, India looks forward to closely working with Maldives in further deepening our partnership". Prime Minister Modi will be returning the same night.Announcing further about Prime Minister Modi's forthcoming visit to Singapore, Kumar elucidated: "The Prime Minister will make an official visit to Singapore to attend the 13th East Asia Summit and associated meetings on November 14 and 15."He also added that Prime Minister Modi is expected to participate in a number of events including a keynote address at the Singapore Fintech summit during his visit.
No other PM damaged economy as much as Modi did: Rahul
Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government's decision to implement demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that no other prime minister has damaged the country's economy as much as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did.Gandhi accused the BJP government in the state for destroying the policies made for the betterment and welfare of tribals. Addressing a rally, he said: "The intention behind the Tribal Rights Act was to protect Adivasi lands, and the Land Acquisition Act was implemented to protect farmers' lands. But the BJP government has destroyed these policies."Speaking on the issue of demonetisation, Gandhi said: "People were made to stand in long queues outside ATMs during demonetisation. But not one person holding black money had to face this." He further said, "No other prime minister has damaged the economy as much as Narendra Modi did."While attacking the BJP government for not taking any action ...
Congress workers demonstrate against note ban in Tripura
The opposition Congress in Tripura on Friday held demonstrations in front of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) branch here to protest against the demonetization exercise by the NDA government in 2016. Similar demonstrations were also organised at the party's headquarters in other districts across the state. The demonetisation move by the central government was nothing but a tactic of the BJP leaders to convert their black money into white," Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Birajit Sinha said during the two-hour long demonstration. "Our country has become bankrupt after demonetization. BJP president Amit Shah has converted his black money into white. Many other BJP leaders did the same taking advantage of demonetization, he added. Sinha also said that the Congress workers and leaders led by its president Rahul Gandhi were protesting in different parts of the country against the ill-effects of demonetisation. "Its a nation-wide protest and in our state, we are ..
Dynasts dominate BJP's list of candidates in Madhya Pradesh
Dynasty politics, which has been the BJP's pet theme against the Congress and regional parties for decades, seems to be dominating its selection of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.
Amarinder urges Sushma to discuss Kartarpur corridor issue with Pakistan
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday urged Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take up the issue of opening of the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara with the Pakistan government.